


Rain In the Sand

by annemarie213



Category: One Piece
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Gender-neutral Reader, I hate angst, I only want fluff, Mutual Pining, No Angst, One Shot, Other, Requited Love, Takes place shortly after Ace's execution, implied at least - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 11:17:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16094597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annemarie213/pseuds/annemarie213
Summary: His biggest weakness was water, and yet, there he was, out in the rain with you.





	Rain In the Sand

It always felt sort of weird to visit a beach, while rain feel from the sky. The image one thinks of, when they hear the word ‘beach’, is usually dunes of sand leading out to the ocean, the whole scene lit up by the sun high in the sky. Perhaps that is why, it felt so… bizarre, to walk through the wet sand, while cold winds chilled your body, the dark clouds covering the sun, while letting small droplets of water fall. Your feet were bare, and your clothes were definitely not warm enough for this kind of weather. Still, you stood at watched the turbulent waves crash against the shore, lead by the chilly wind. A shiver ran through your body.

‘’I was under the impression that you were smart enough to wear a coat, when going out into the rain.’’ Came a deep voice from behind you.

It was Crocodile, the former Shichibukai. Until recently, he had been imprisoned in the impenetrable fortress Impel Down, but had broken out when the pirate Straw Hat Luffy had caused chaos, on his way to rescue his brother, Ace. You had been there, at Ace’s execution. You had seen the war between pirates and the marines, which you had been a part of. However, during the short war, your doubts about your position in the Marine had become too great, and shortly after Ace’s execution, you had placed your resignation letter on your superior’s desk before leaving the Marines for good.

It was a short while after that, that Crocodile and his crewmate, Daz Bones, turned up on your home island. You knew them both of course, being a former high-ranking Marine officer meant that you had had the pleasure of meeting Crocodile and his subordinates a couple of times, but it was the Schichibukia that you knew the best. He wasn’t exactly what one might call ‘pleasant company’, with his habit of letting everyone around him know how inferior they were compared to him, even if it wasn’t true. Yet somehow, you still managed to end up conversing with him, whenever your paths crossed. He always held himself with an overconfidence, a trait he shared with several of his fellow Shichibukai, and it was a wonder how you had managed to talk to the guy without accidentally insulting him. Well, at least you believed that you had managed to avoid it, as he had never showed any signs of annoyance or anger, when you talked, and somehow, you had come to enjoy his company. You believed he felt the same, as he had even shielded you from an attack during the war at Marineford. He had said nothing, as he gazed at you over his shoulder, his dark jacket fluttering in the wind behind him, as you had looked at him. You didn’t manage to ask him why he had protected you, before he had dissolved into sand and made his way toward the centre of the fight.

Even after he came to your island, you had decided not to question him. You figured that the reason for his visit would be explained sooner or later.

‘’And I was under the impression that you hated water.’’ You replied, without looking at him.

You heard him chuckle, as he walked closer.

‘’That’s true, but this is a peaceful island, and you’re a retired marine office, whom I doubt is going to waste energy fighting me. I have no need for my powers, and the rain is just a slight bother.’’

You could feel him right behind you, standing so close that you could feel his body heat on your back. He easily towered over you, being the large man that he was. He wasn’t the tallest man you had met, yet his height never ceased to make an impression on you. It was one of those physical traits he had, that you found attractive. Not that you would ever tell him that.

‘’I believe the weather is more of an inconvenience to you, than it is to me, considering your poor choice of clothing.’’

Something cold touched your waist, causing you to give a small twitch. Looking down, you saw Crocodile’s golden hook around your waist, effectively covering some of your backside from the cold with his arm. The fact, that his touch made you feel warmer than any other person’s would, also helped a bit.

‘’Oh, I’m so grateful to be in the vicinity of such a kind man.’’ You mumbled, though not managing to muffle it enough to hide it from the tall handsome man. You struggled, trying to ignore your heart fluttering in your chest, while he chuckled, the vibrations from his chest against your back, making you feel fuzzy. ‘’Why are you here anyway? I can’t imagine there being anything important on this island. I’ve lived here my whole life, so I should know.’’

 

He answered fairly quickly, ‘’I’m planning on heading to the New World.’’ He shifted his head to look you in the eyes, granting you a proper look at his face, ‘’I want you to come with me.’’ His usually slicked back hair had a strand escaping, hanging in front of his face. His usual thick cigar was absent.

‘’W-wha?’’ Your face twisted into an expression of embarrassment, your eyes wide and your cheeks cherry-red, ‘’Why do you…-‘’

‘’I was in Impel Down for 2 years. It gave me plenty of time to think. I could have busted out of that place anytime I wanted, but there was no reason for me to do so.’’ (Yeah right he could, you thought) ‘’After Straw Hat’s arrival at Impel Down, I finally managed to make up my mind. I’m going to chase the dream, that I though I had abandoned for good many years ago. I figured that we would run into one another again, considering your position in the Marine, but then I read about your resignation in the news, and decided to come here.’’

‘’That doesn’t answer why you want me to come with you.’’

‘’Well,’’ he dragged you a bit closer with the hook, causing you to brace against his chest with your hand, before he cupped your cheek with his right hand and leaned down to come face-to-face with you, ‘’I thought the answer was quite obvious.’’

You were closer to his face than you had ever been before, allowing you a closer look. The scar that stretched across his face was one of the first things that had stood out to you, when you had seen him for the first time. Back then you barely dared talk to him, fearing that you would somehow cause him to run amok, by saying something dumb. You would never have imagined finding yourself in this situation; Crocodile’s face slowly inching closer and closer towards your own, his eyes flickering to your lips briefly. The grip on your face and waist was gentle, you could easily slip out of it if you so desired, but you could not bring yourself to do so. Instead, you placed your hand over his, and let your eyelids flutter shut.

 

Even though it only took a moment, it felt like an eternity had passed, before you felt his lips on yours. The rain made the kiss salty, yet it could not drown out the taste of Crocodile, the slight aftertaste of tobacco let you know that he had been smoking shortly before joining you on the beach. It was unlike him to be without his cigar, just like the kiss was unlike him. You thought – not that you had ever imagined what it would be like to kiss him, oh no – that he would be a forceful and dominant kisser, but his lips barely bruised against yours, before he pulled back slightly. Then he leaned in again, his hook pressing your body against his, your hand clenching onto his vest, using his body to balance yourself, as you stood on your toes, chasing his lips as he pulled back once again. You felt dizzy, his light kisses affecting you more than you would have liked to believe.

 

When you finally managed to separate your lips, he answered your question; ‘’I came here to give you that offer, to come with me to the New World. This whole trip wouldn’t have been necessary if you had just stayed with the Marine, but then again, I’d rather have you by my side, than only seeing you whenever your job would allow it.’’

You wondered how in the world this man was so smooth, especially since he had shown no interest in anyone before, as far as you knew.

‘’I should probably get my bags then?’’ you said with a shy smile, before it was promptly wiped off your face, and you let out a yelp, as Crocodile hooked his arm under your butt, hoisting you up against his chest.

‘’No need for that. I’ll get you some clothes that look better on you than that awful Marine uniform. We’ll get everything we need on the way to the New World’’ He grabbed one of your hands with his, lifting it to his lips before leaving a kiss on the back. ‘’I’ve gotten what I wanted, so there’s no need to stay here any longer.’’ He smirked at you, as your cheeks flared once again.

He began walking, and your figures disappeared out of sight in the rain, soon to leave the island and set off on a new adventure, side by side.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this instead of continuing my other two fanfics, kill me  
> You know you're an inexperienced writer, when you use wikihow to describe a kiss scene  
> I'm also going to write a Doflamingo/reader, and it's gonna be a long one, but it'll have to wait till I'm done with at least one of my other fanfics


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